Alien Revival

Well, welcome to 2010!  I know, delayed entry, but still... I AM happy that 2010 is here!

2010 has so many promises of hope and blessing.  This is a great year and the Lord has ALREADY done so much!  2010 is a year of double portion (2) and righteousness (10)!!  How exciting is that?

Coming into this year, I was challenged by some local friends/missionaries to ask God for some goals for 2010.  I'm NOT a "resolution" maker, but I can set goals.  Especially when it means setting goals with a LIMITLESS God!  Every goal that passed through my mind or I jotted down didn't seem big enough.  I felt like they were good starting points, as if the Holy Spirit were to say, "okay, yeah, that's a good topic that I LOVE, but let's get a bigger goal for it, okay?"  Uhh... *gulp*  SURE THING!!

I'm not intending to share my goals with you, yet.  Not all of them, anyway.  A basic goal is communication.  2010 is going to be a year of communication changes.  

I've been spending more time communicating with my loved ones in the last weeks, than I have in the last year and a half.  I think my loved ones appreciate it as I've been keeping up with it pretty well, so far.  I'm not sure how I feel about it yet.  On one hand, it does a great deal of good to talk with my family and friends, but the more I talk to them, the more I miss them.  So, I think I'd rather just be "out of sight, out of mind" than reminding myself over and over again that I just don't know when I will be in America next.  It truly has been refreshing to share life so regularly with you all again.  Be patient with me, as you await your time for my phone call.  I'll get around to you, eventually.  ;-)

Right now, I've been hittin' the books big time.  A quick review- I am here on a Student Visa and through the University, all Non-native German Speakers are required to pass a proficiency exam (similar to TOEFL) within the first 3 semesters of study.  During my last 3 semesters, I've been enrolled in an intensive German language course.  I will be taking this proficiency exam beginning on Feb. 1st.  Provided I pass the first portion (written), I will then go on to take the oral exam a week later.  My future in the Austrian University system is riding on this exam, which means my current and future visas are riding on this exam, as well as my insurance.  I have to say, in personal evaluation, I have grown exponentially in my German skills.  I went from a few cute phrases at the beginning, to being able to understand nearly everything and to be able to respond in German.  I cannot watch everything, but I can watch a handful of movies in German, and I am able to translate decently between the two languages for conversations.  My recent translation challenges have, indeed, been challenging- translating entire church services into English.  My goal is NOT to be able to translate, but translating does mark a certain skill level.  The day I can translate an entire service into German will be worth celebrating!  I'll let you know when the day comes.  Again, in self-reflection, I am proud of myself and am grateful that the Lord has helped me adopt the language so well in such a short amount of time.  This exam next week is a bit more particular than speaking with friends and teenagers, so we'll see how it goes.  My confidence isn't necessarily building as I study, but my courage is.  It will be good to have this exam over with and be able to move on.  

WHAT will I move on to?  I'm not sure yet.  I am looking into some different course options that are potentially transferable back to an American University.  In other words, I plan to take some classes that are effective toward my intended Masters Program.  Which, I am not at this time disclosing publicly.  But, I bet that some of you could probably guess!!  Yeah, guess- go for it; this will be a fun game!!

What's going on within ministry?  SO MUCH!  Every time I turn around, the Lord is doing another great work.  I am constantly overtaken by His ability to Love something... someone... to redemption.  It's all about relationship.

My interactions in Graz are most consistently with the other international students at my school.  I LOVE these people.  I love that the one thing we have in common is that we are all foreigners here.  I've had the awesome blessing of sharing the Gospel with a number of my classmates throughout the last 3 semesters.  

One in particular, from China, borrowed my copy of Brother Yun's, "The Heavenly Man."  This classmate saw me reading it in the hallway while I was waiting for our class to begin.  He asked me what it was about and I explained that it is the testimony of a Chinese man who loves Jesus.  My classmate was perplexed by even the idea o a Chinese many loving Jesus, so he asked if he could borrow the book.  UH! YEAH!  A couple weeks later, he returned the book and asked how much of it is true.  I was able to explain to him that the entire story is true and that God really is just that worth loving.  He didn't really want to hear much more, but he was touched deeply by the devotion.  I've not given up on this classmate. 

Another girl cannot believe that I am a Christian.  When we first met, I still wore my eye brow piercing and she could see the tattoo on my foot.  One afternoon, we went for lunch together with a couple of others.  When I ordered a beer, she was in even more shock.  She asked me, almost every day for the entire first semester, "Are you SURE you're a Christian?"  In time, she grew to trust me and began to share her needs, very real needs, with me.  It used to be that she would tell me AFTER a major circumstance went poorly in her life.  Now, she tells me BEFORE the circumstance has time to play out, because she knows that I will pray for her and that my God will respond.  Seeing the Lord's faithful touch in her life assures me that He is faithful to my life, as well.  She brings me to tears on a regular basis.  She hasn't chosen the Truth for herself, yet, but I've also not given up on her.  

As I said, the absolute most obvious factor that my classmates and I have in common is that we are all foreign to this place.  Grasping the notion that I am an alien to this world, this is a wide open door for me to share with my classmates.  Some of them think I am crazy, and I am a little bit, but they all have grown to like and trust me.  This isn't because of me, but because of the Spirit I can share with them.  These are people coming from strong religious backgrounds- some Muslim, some Hindu, some Catholic, and some very much involved in new age esoteric beliefs.  They all, however, have seen God... my God... respond in love and grace in my life.  I've been asked where my energy and life comes from... they wonder why I have courage and enthusiasm even in the worst of days.  They ask me how I dare to smile when everything around me tells me I shouldn't.  

It's a testimony of who the I AM is and what it means to know that I am I AM's.  The Kingdom in me is life altering.  The Spirit gives without measure.  God is Love, Life, and Truth.  

What more do I need in order to change a city?  Love smothered faith and obedience.

And THAT is why I have enormous goals for 2010.  

Mark 12:29-31 (New King James)

29 Jesus answered him, “The first of all the commandments is: ‘Hear, O Israel, the LORD our God, the LORD is one. ³⁰ And you shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.’This is the first commandment. ³¹ And the second, like it, is this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.” 

Those were only two small glances into what's happening here.  Revival IS coming to Austria!  Kids are being healed and coming to know Jesus.  Hearts and homes are being restored.  It's not an easy endeavor for us, but it is an easy pleasure for God, who is doing it!  More testimonies will come.  

The Exousia worship CD is well underway.  We've still got some tracking work to do and within a few weeks, everything will be sent off to be mastered and produced.  I'm very pleased with how the project is working out at this point.  A great purpose of this CD is to get more German worship music out there.  Everything on the CD is original and is about 60:40, German:English.  I'll let you know as soon as it is available.  

There are also some big events/meetings mixed in with the normal stuff coming up in the next 2 months.

Here's a run down for you...please be praying!  

February- (technically a month off)

1 & 8:  Proficiency Exams

12: Vinex meeting

19-22:  Worship Rehearsal for Balkan Women's Conference

March-

5:  Vinex Meeting

9-15:  Women's Conference in Sarajevo

18-21:  Blast Advanced School with the topic of Worship

26-28:  Youth Retreat- Vinex + Up with Bryan Leach and other LCMI guests  (www.lcmi.org)

because I just need to get it off my chest

NDAMUKONG SUH is the best player in NCAAF this season.  

if only defensive stats were as impressive to hear as the offensive.

secrets of nightfall?

Up late or up early?  No matter the perspective, I'm simply up.  I couldn't sleep last night and at this point in the battle, I'm beginning to lose ideas of how to make good use of the time.  After exercising my more disciplined routines, I am resolving to a well overdue blog entry and a sunrise run.  Okay, so maybe not with the sunrise, seeing as that won't happen for nearly 1.5 hours.  

We had our first snow of December on Sunday.  It's how a first snow should be.  Gentle, light, yet confidently taking its place.  Our FIRST, first snow was at the beginning of November.  The flakes were big, fat, heavy and wet.  Convinced they were leaving me with a minor concussion, I did my best to stay out of the falling globs- I took a bus to Croatia.  This time, though, I cuddled inside with My Savior, watching Him delicately lay His grace across the hills.  All the while, I asked Him for a new impression of who He is.  I encourage you to anticipate the script of our dialogue, though I'm certain you've lost faith in my consistency as a blogger.  

You might wonder why on Earth I'd consider running before sunrise after a snowfall.  My answer is practical; why not?  The below freezing temp considered, I've decided to take advantage of the Alpine Winter.  I no longer live in fear that the wind-chill will freeze my eyes open, leaving me blind and unaware of where that wind-power is actually carrying me.  No, there is no place like Nebraska, but this morning, I am oh-so-warmly-grateful to not be there.  Now, off to stir up those endorphins and get this Monday started on a good, cheerful note (or, wear-out my body and take a quick nap before class)!!

...and to all a good night!

Halfurkey in Koinonia

Thanksgiving tradition--

I am grateful for the opportunity to serve the living God.  I am grateful that I know Him, hear His voice, and by His grace I can be near to Him.  I am grateful for eternal salvation with assurance of promise, hope, and a future.  I am grateful.

Soaking this afternoon, while eating left over pumpkin pie, I am enjoying the glory of Abba.  Before I serve you any more pabulum (for you, Jo), I just HAVE to say- Kady makes AMAZING pie!  When possible, grind fresh ginger into the pumpkin pie rather than the powder.  THANK YOU KADY K! 

Koinonia is an incomparable cohesion.  Explicitly, the blessing of community with people of a shared vision, a shared heart, a shared PASSION is exactly what I am grateful for this afternoon.  Thanksgiving day is full of potential for frenzied hecticness.  My Thanksgiving was the opposite.  Easy, enjoyable and enchanting would be precise adjectives.  The morning started out with a final breakfast with my delightful Croatian sisters at about 8:45 a.m.  After 2 cups of Croatian coffee, I was ready to attack the biggest obstacle of the day - a 15.74kg (35lbs) fresh-from-the-farm-turkey to roast.  Testing the gas stove, I nervously struck my first match.  No flames.  Trying a second time, with very little hope, we testing the gas source in the oven.  No flames.  Alright, no problem.  I still have the electric oven that I can use.  Only difficulty is that this oven is approximately 18" x 18" x 18".  There is no way a 35lb bird is going to fit in this small oven.  So what did I do?  The only logical thing that anyone could do- I cut my turkey in half.  Ljubica, a great woman, assisted me in the dissection.  Really, it was more of an aggressive hacking, chopping, sawing; than a "cutting."  For the sake of remaining PG, we'll call it cutting.  Okay, bird cut in half and lying pan.  Next problem- fat birds have fat legs.  Off comes the drumstick.  Perfectly snug fit.  Tucked into his nest of foil, the halfurkey went into the oven at exactly 10:00 a.m.

An hour or so later, the Wolfsbergers arrived, arms full of Thanksgiving necessities.  Kady and Dylan had already baked 2 pies (an apple and a peanut butter), which quenched my nerves regarding the oven situation.  In we went, preparing food for 20 people.  We had no real plan of action, but we just moved right along from one dish to the next (and back to the first).  There was no angst nor stress.  We just laughed our way through and experimented.  I am not one to be proud nor boastful, but I am going to say- we made an EXCELLENT team and everything was palatable.  We cooked nearly everything without a recipe, naturally leading to many unavoidable taste tests.  Jesus had His hands in our cooking.  How often is it that you cook with 4 other people, for the first time, all having nearly the same taste for food?  We prepared deviled eggs, stuffing, gravy, a pumpkin pie, a veggie tray with fresh onion dip, and of course, the turkey.  Our guests brought the remaining side dished- green beans, corn, a fruit salad, cole slaw, and mashed potatoes (prepared in the same kitchen we were working).  I know, the list of what we actually cooked doesn't sound so impressive, but please keep in mind, 3 small burners on the stove range, a tiny oven, and cooking for 20 people.  

There is no real pressure for preparing the "perfect" Thanksgiving meal in a foreign country, right?  We Americans are the only "sound" judges of the meal, right?  WRONG.  For the last 2 weeks, Franz has been sharing his excitement for the holiday with me.  His first Thanksgiving meal, during his first visit to the States back in 1980, saved his opinion of the American kitchen; he reminded me of the story at least twice a day, every day for the last week.  Not to mention, Julia who'd also experienced a real Thanksgiving in America.  As far as Franz was concerned, it was ALL about "the bird" and how great "the bird" had to be.  Made me sweat a little.  This was my second experience roasting a turkey, and I think I have a gift for it- Bradley was delicious.  Yes, I named him.  When working with such a GINORMOUS beast of a bird, I couldn't help but name him.  And yes, I am pretty certain it was a him.  

We had delicious prosecco/sekt to start the meal with a movie-traditional toast, followed by Jason carving the halfurkey.  We all really enjoyed ourselves with a nice stress-free environment from start to finish.  It was a nice way to introduce the LCMI-ers to Franz and some of the other Grazers with whom they'll be interacting this next year (or so).  Clean up Thursday night was minimal- refrigerating all the perishables.  When the guests left, we Americans (and Josef), watched Elf with the projector.  Around 2:30 a.m. we made it to bed with an agreement to take our time in the morning.  By 11:30 Friday morning, we were finishing breakfast and got in gear to clean-up.  Again, we made a really great team, with no stress.  

It comes down to two large points.  1. Jesus had His hands in our cooking and in our entire celebration.  2. Koinonia.  I am blessed with truly the greatest friends in all the world.  Though we have different purposes, we have a shared vision of renewal and advancement of the Kingdom.  Sadly, not all of them(you) are here in Austria with me, thus, I treasure those who are nearby.  Kady and I joke that because we are from the same small town region of New York, we are practically family and, after Thanksgiving, we are definitely at LEAST cousins now.  It's just such a gift to be with people of the same natural culture aiming to live the Kingdom culture within an entirely foreign culture.  Thanks for coming up, guys!  

What happened to the other half of the turkey?  It's in the deep freezer with that remaining leg, waiting for Christmas dinner.  ;-D